Perforated-bottom metal tray.



F. L. JEFFER-IES. PERFOR'ATED BOTTOM METAL TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30. 1914.

1 05,745. Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

o o o o o 0 0| 0 o ogogo o o o o o o 0 0 o 0 k ww' Wa s: izzrenivrf yaw Fredrzclr' L. Jgjaa'ea w: mmms r-Ersns m, mmmumou WASNINCNN nv c.

Iild

'FREDRICK LESTER JEFFERIES, F RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS.

PERFOBATED-BOTTOM METAL TRAY.

Application filed December 30, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRICK L. JEFFER- ins, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Perforated-Bottom Metal. Trays, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trays which are used for drying large quantities of material in manufacturing plants, and which are subjected to great extremes of heat, moisture and dryness. Such trays are used in large quantities in the manufacture of starch, the

- moistened material being placed therein,

either in a very moist condition or after being partly dried in broken or lump form.

Wooden trays lined with cloth have been largely used for this and similar purposes, as well as trays having the bottoms of wire cloth or screen. Such wooden trays are quickly warped and destroyed in the eX- tremes of heat and moisture to which they 4 are subjected, and all are subjected to severe strains from the considerable weights which are placed upon them.

It is the object of my invention to provide a tray which may be made of a single piece of material, and preferably without being seamed or riveted. Such trays are simple and cheap to manufacture, and are free from the objections applicable to trays heretofore used under conditions for which this is designed, in that they do not swell or contract under varying degrees of moisture. They are light and strong, and at the same time especially adapted to the supporting of heavy masses of material placed thereon.

The principles of my invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a sheet of metal perforated ready to be formed into my improved tray; Fig.2 is a top view of such tray, the corners being formed by cutting and riveting; Fig. 3 is a top view of such tray when drawn from the initial blank; Figs. 4- and 5 are enlarged sections taken on the lines 4 and 5 of Figs. 2 and 3, respectively.

In making a tray according to the principles of my invention, I take a sheet of metal of proper thickness and size and perforate the central portion 1 thereof, corresponding to the bottom of the tray to be formed, in any well-known manner. The marginal portions 2, which are to form the sides of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

SerialNo. 879,658.

the tray, are left in their natural state. The imperforate portions may be cut at the corners as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. l, and turned and secured by rivets, as shown in Fig. 2. The perforated bottom should also be provided with corrugations 3 and 4, which may be done by subjecting the sheet or the completed tray to the action of suitable dies or other corrugating machinery.

The present practice in making trays for drying starch and similar materials, as indicated in the preamble hereto, is the use of a bottom of wire screen .or netting, thereby providing opportunity for the free action of air on the material to be dried. And, in making my improved tray, I conform to such practice in providing in the fullest degree for such drying action. As shown in the drawings, I remove a large portion of the metal by the perforations, as much in fact as is consistent with sufficient strength to support the loads which will be placed thereon and make a completely foraminous bottom. I am able to do this by reason of the fact that the bottom so otherwise weakened, is completely strengthened by means of the corrugated structure which is afterward given thereto, in which the fiutings are formed by continuous reverse curves.

The preferred method of practice in my invention, however, is to form the completed tray from the prepared blank shown in Fig. 1, by a single operation, which may be done by suitable disks in a press of suflicient power. By making the female die with a corrugated base and surrounding walls and having a convex die correspondingly formed, the sheet may be operated upon to complete a tray as shown in the plan view in Fig. 3, and as further illustrated in the cross section in Fig. 5.

It will beseen that the trays constructed as described will be greatly stiffened by means of the transverse corrugations and also that material beingplaced therein and being kept from intimate contact with the perforations by means of the corrugations, a much better circulation of air can be obtained than though the bottom were notprovided with such corrugations.

I claim 1. As a new article of manufacture, a drying tray having a bottom consisting of a single sheet of foraminous metal, said bottom being formed of continuous parallel scribed my name, this 23 day of December curves. 1914, in the presence of two subscribing 2. As a new article of manufacture, a dry- Witnesses. ing tray having a bottom consisting of f0- FREDRICK LESTER JEFFERIES.

5 raniinous metal, said bottom being formed Witnesses:

of continuous parallel curves. WILLARD B. EVANS,

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto sub- GENEVIEVE KENNEDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of IPatents, Washington, D. C. 

